Things that Weren't Supposed to Happen
by Thisismyfangirlface
Summary: "This was wrong. So so wrong. It was so wrong on so many levels and none of this was supposed to happen. But Robin got on a train 5 years ago and now it was too late for Dick Grayson to jump off." Slight AU (the correct term is Canon Divergence I think). T for language.


**Hello!** **It's been a while since I posted anything (even though I have like three other fanfics started I swear). Sorry about that ^_^'**

 **This is the second Young Justice fic I've written so I'm not positive I've gotten the hang of everything yet but I hope you like it! I wanted to make it more shippy but I just couldn't find a way to work it in without adding on another few hundred or so words and I just wanted some good old angst so we have this (can be read as pre-slash or just friendship). I had fun writing this fic so I hope you enjoy reading it!**

 **I don't own Young Justice**

Things that Weren't Supposed to Happen

This was wrong. So so wrong. It was so wrong on so many levels and _none of this_ was supposed to happen. But Robin got on a train 5 years ago and now it was too late for Dick Grayson to jump off.

8-year-olds were not supposed to lose both of their parents.

9-year-olds were not supposed to become Batman's sidekick and face off against some of the most deranged and insane criminals known to man.

10-year-olds were not supposed to be hardened to the world of crime.

11-year-olds were not supposed to think that it was no big deal if they got the crap beat out of them so long as they won and caught the guy.

12-year-olds were not supposed to keep track of how many times they had almost been shot.

13-year-olds were not supposed to form a crime-fighting superhero team with other crime-fighting superheroes, especially when said 13-year-old was in serious lack of superpowers.

And 14-year-olds were not supposed to die trapped in the basement of a building that was collapsing on top of them.

Apparently Kid Flash thought that too because the idiot ran in after him when he learned that Robin hadn't made it out of the building yet.

Robin could only imagine how that discussion went with the team. He imagined they were all concerned that Robin hadn't been seen since before the order to evacuate had been given but assumed he had got caught up helping the civilians escape. He imagined that when Wally, having already gone back in twice since the order came through so he could save the few remaining civilians, finally came back out for the last time he was surprised to find the team had expected him to have Robin with him. He didn't have to try hard to imagine the look on Wally's face when he figured out that his best friend was still inside somewhere and definitely not helping the evacuation (because he finished evacuating damnit everyone was supposed to be out already how could he have missed-). He had even less trouble imagining the thought process- that honestly could barely be called a process because there was probably never even a question in Wally's mind- that occured before he was a red and yellow blur going back into the building while the team called for him to wait a second and think it through.

Robin would have told Wally to wait too. Robin would have said the risk of losing Kid Flash and Robin was too much more than the risk of just losing Robin. He would have said it was his own fault for letting his guard down and ending up unconscious and tied to a pole in the basement. He would have said-

Hell he would have done the same thing if their positions had been reversed and Robin couldn't fault him for it.

14-year-olds weren't supposed to have that conviction. They weren't supposed to be completely willing to die saving their best friend should the very real possibility ever arise. They weren't even supposed to have a very real possibility of that happening.

But when Kid Flash burst through the door of the basement Robin felt a swirl of emotions (14-year-olds were supposed to have those but of a different kind) and he thought for a moment that things might be okay.

"Where the hell have you been?" Wally asked and before he was done talking he was already untying the ropes around his best friend.

"Where the hell have _you_ been?" Robin laughed because in the back of his mind he knew Kid Flash would be the one to save him if indeed he did get saved.

Wally rolled his eyes before he pulled Dick up onto his back and prepared to run them both to safety. "I'm expecting an actual explanation you know."

Dick's reply of "I know," was swept away by the wind as Wally took off and he was sure that things would be okay now because he was with Wally and they were getting out and it just had to be okay-

And then the ceiling caved in on them.

14-year-olds were not supposed to wake up twice in one day unsure of what happened right before they lost consciousness.

14-year-olds were not supposed to wake up covered in blood coming from their best friend's head wound that he apparently got while protecting them from a building collapsing on them.

"Wally…?" Dick choked on the dust that permeated the air around them. His throat felt cracked and, even though Wally obviously took most of the damage, he felt like his ribcage was bent and he had an intense pain in his leg.

He looked down to see that both of them were covered by a large chunk of cement from the waist down.

With a groan the boy wonder let his head drop back to the ground with a thunk. For a moment he laid there trying to regulate his breathing.

"Walls come on, man," he sat up again to look at his friend. His mind felt sluggish and he realised he must have knocked his head on the ground pretty hard but his concussion would be nothing in comparison to Wally's.

"Wally you gotta wake up okay?" his brain had begun to register the desperation of the situation they were in and urgency began to creep into his awareness. "Wally look at me!"

Robin shook his friend's shoulder as much as he dared but the redhead gave no reaction.

"KF! Come on dude open your eyes! Please!" Robin tried to shimmy out from under the rubble and his best friends body but he only succeeded in cutting his leg on something.

Kid Flash wasn't just unresponsive, he was unmoving dead weight on top of him and Robin realised with a jolt that he couldn't feel his friend breathing at all. Quickly he brought his free arm up to check the pulse in his friend's neck. His movements were stiff and it took him longer than he would have liked to make his hand move the way he wanted but when it did he was hit by a cold pit forming in his stomach. He could barely feel the pulse there.

With no regard for his sore muscles or the rocks digging into his back Robin shifted closer to Wally so he could feel the shallow uneven breathing barely fanning across his face.

At least he's breathing.

But for how much longer?

With considerable effort Robin managed to wriggle his other arm out from underneath Wally and he brought both of his hands up to gingerly search his friend's head to try to figure out where the blood was coming from. There was a good sized gash on the back of his head and Robin winced in sympathy. He was worried about what that would do to the speedster's sight but before he could dwell on that he needed to stop the bleeding.

He stretched again and removed one of his gloves, the one without the wrist computer, and took the armored pieces off of it before turning it inside out so the dirt and grime was on the inside.

"Sorry Wally," he muttered before pressing the cloth to the open wound.

The readhead flinched and let out a low whine. "Wassit…" he slurred.

Robin felt a small bit of relief. "Hey Walls. Stay with me okay?"

"'N a Minn…"

"No not in a minute. Now," Robin chided.

"So tired Rob…"

"I know but you have to stay awake okay? You've hit your head pretty badly. You're probably concussed so you gotta stay with me. Just keep talking alright?"

"Mkay…"

"Wally. Wally come on. You can talk a mile a minute any other time you can say a few sentences now. I will take you to do anything you want after this if you stay awake okay?"

"-nything…?"

"Anything, I swear."

"...Food…?"

Robin let out a wet laugh. "Yes I will take you to get food," he promised.

"Even… even a buffet?"

"All you can eat."

"Big words… for a kid who," Wally winced, "who has to explain all of his purchases to Bruce Wayne." He coughed and Dick pretended the warm spatter that landed on his face was something gross like spit and definitely not blood.

If anyone else were around Robin would deny that he was crying by this point. As it was he choked out a sob and pretended it sounded like a laugh.

"Wally if you survive this I will _buy_ you a restaurant I promise. No matter what Bruce says."

Wally let out a sound that could have been a content hum or noise of pain and Robin held onto his friend tighter.

"Rob… Robin I... ," the redhead groaned. "Dick I am _so_ tired. I'm _so so tired._ I just want to sleep."

"Wally. Wally no you can't sleep. You gotta stay with me okay? Keep talking to me!"

"I will… just… right after… I…"

The speedster went limp again.

"Wally?... Wally no! Nononono no please wake up! Please!"

This wasn't supposed to happen. None of this was supposed to happen damnit! 14-year-olds weren't supposed to need saved from a collapsing building. They weren't even supposed to be in a collapsing building in the first place!

And 14-year-olds were definitely _not_ supposed to hold their dying best friend in their arms while they waited for help that might not even be on the way yet. It wasn't supposed to be like this damn it- it just wasn't!

"Wally… please wake up…" Dick's voice was weak with emotion. If he tried to speak louder he was sure he'd dissolve into sobs. "Please…"

But he didn't move. Dick wasn't even sure if he was breathing anymore.

He let out a broken cry and held the redhead closer to him, trying to feel his weak heartbeat through his own chest but he couldn't feel anything but his own heart going into overdrive and trying to make up for the oxygen he was using.

Dick spent what felt like hours whispering to Wally all of the things they would do after they made it out of this. He talked about week-long sleepovers that Bruce would never approve of and outings to amusement parks and a personal tour of Gotham City according to Robin's favorite places to patrol. He talked about different types of restaurants that they could visit and more than once he reminded Wally that he needed to think about which one he wanted Dick to buy for him.

Rescue teams weren't supposed to take that long.

Once they found the two heroes they were quick to get them out and shipped off in ambulances but by then Robin was a crying mess weakly mumbling about _food and time and how wrong this was it was so wrong it wasn't fair_ -

14-year-olds shouldn't have to go to their best friend's funeral.

14-year-olds shouldn't need special permission to leave the hospital to go to their best friend's funeral.

Wally's funeral was a closed casket. Apparently things were a lot worse than Dick could tell in the dim light of the cramped space they were trapped in and he hated himself for it.

If he had just been able to see better… if he had just noticed that-

He sat numbly in his wheelchair, covered in bruises and bandages and looking very out of place in his pristinely kept suit while Bruce and Alfred stood behind and beside him, offering silent strength and comfort that Dick promptly ignored. He listened to people talk about Kid Flash and how he had made such a big impact on the world. They talked about how many people he saved. They talked about how he died saving Robin's life.

16-year-olds weren't supposed to die saving their best friend.

Dick Grayson missed school for three weeks.

Robin was back on Patrol as soon as Batman would let him.

Dick Grayson pretended his absence was due to a boating accident and that, other than that, he enjoyed his vacation.

Robin threw himself back into his work as a defender of Gotham, laughing extra loud and punching extra hard and being extra wreckless.

Batman benched him for a week.

14-year-olds were not supposed to find themselves visiting their best friend's grave in the middle of the night (in the middle of _every_ night).

Most of the time he didn't say much. He just sat in front of the headstone and lost himself in his thoughts. Sometimes he cried. On a few occasions he talked. Never about anything important but he figured Wally would want updates on how life was going.

He always apologized. With unsteady breath and trembling lips and his entire being shaking and overcome with grief he apologized. Profusely and repetitively but never enough _it was never enough because damn it Wally it was all my fault and I'm so sorry I am so so sorry this wasn't supposed to happen it wasn't supposed to fucking be like this I'm so sorry-_

14-year-olds weren't supposed to feel responsible for the death of their best friend. They weren't supposed to be consumed by grief and they sure as hell weren't supposed to feel guilty about surviving the incident that should have killed them instead.

16-year-olds weren't supposed to die saving their best friend.

None of this was supposed to happen.

 **That's the end (for now at least).**

 **I really hope I handled Robin's character okay. I know with his training he's not very likely to just flat out panic but I do think that after a certain point he would lose his cool in some situations.**

 **Anyway thank you for taking the time to read and I hope you enjoyed!**


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